The invention relates to a separator.
Separators of this type which are also suitable for an industrial application, especially also in continuous operation, are known from the prior art per se.
The power transmission from the electric motor to the rotor is often carried out via a drive belt or by means of a helical gearing.
Under the known systems there are, furthermore, also constructions in which the drum, the drive spindle and the electric drive motor are rigidly connected to form a modular unit which is then as a whole elastically supported on a machine frame. The generic GB 368 247, FR 1.287.551, DE 1 057 979 and DE 43 14 440 C1 disclose examples of such a prior art. It is disadvantageous that such arrangements are of relatively large construction, especially also in the radial direction (GB 368 247).
In this context, reference is also to be made to EP 1 617 952 which again has embraced the constructional basic principle of GB 368 247, wherein in comparison to GB 368 247 the supporting of the weight of the centrifugal drum is carried out on the neck bearing (upper bearing) and not on the foot bearing (lower bearing). Overall, the constructional design of this separator drive also is still relatively costly, however. Moreover, the type of lubrication and cooling of the electric motor are also still in need of improvement.
Finally, reference is also to be made to DE 513 192 in relation to the prior art. This document discloses a centrifugal spindle in which the drive motor is admittedly arranged in an axial extension of the rotational axis of the centrifugal drum coaxially to this but in which the drive spindle passes through a pipe section, wherein the drive spindle and the pipe section in the case of DE 513 192 are connected in the region of a foot bearing, whereas the pipe section and the drive spindle in a relatively more expensive type of construction have separate neck bearings and only the drive spindle is supported in a radially elastic manner on a machine frame. This type of construction is therefore very costly. The drive housing itself is designed in two parts, wherein an upper part bears on a lower part by means of a flange. There is lubrication with oil but no cooling with a coolant in addition to the lubricant. The stator is fastened directly on the outer circumference of the drive housing.
Overall, the structural design of the known constructions is relatively costly and not adaptable to different application purposes with sufficient flexibility. The cooling of known drive devices, moreover, appears to be worthy of improvement.
In this respect, the modern constructions of DE 10 2006 011 895, DE 10 2006 020 467 A1 constitute a development. Deviating from their construction principle, however, there continues to be a demand for compact separator drives which are easily adaptable to different application purposes and have a perfected and efficient cooling system.
Starting from the known prior art, the invention has in this respect the object of taking another path and to realize a separator which is distinguished by a compact type of construction and especially also by a low maintenance requirement and preferably also an efficient cooling system.
The simple installation and maintenance of the separator drive and also the advantageous cooling system both for the cooling of the motor and of the liquid lubricant which flows back vertically from the top downwards in the drive chamber are to be referred to as being particularly advantageous. Creating a lubricant mist is not necessary with this but lubricating of the bearings of the drive spindle with flowing, liquid lubricant can be used directly so that no lubricant can enter the electric motor itself, which would be unavoidable when using an oil mist system. The rotor is mounted directly on the drive spindle which is radially movable in this region and on the end of which is mounted the drum.
In this case, the cooling system—being a cooling circuit for a cooling fluid, especially water—is preferably and advantageously integrated wholly or partially directly into the drive housing, whereas the electric motor—especially the stator—itself does not have a separate liquid cooling system built into it. In such a way, the electric motor—especially the stator as a preassembled modular unit without a liquid cooling device—can be designed in a particularly cost-effective manner. In addition to cooling with the coolant, there is preferably lubrication with a lubricant. Different liquids are preferably used as the lubricant and the coolant.
Advantageous embodiments are to be gathered from the dependent claims.
The invention is described in more detail below based on exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings.